Resignation and appointment of bishop of Toowoomba, Australia
Resignation and appointment of bishop of Antipolo, Philippines
Resignation of auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, U.S.A.
Appointment of bishop of San Juan Bautista de Calama, Chile
Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Brasilia, Brazil
Resignation and appointment of bishop of Toowoomba, Australia
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Toowoomba, Australia, presented by Bishop Robert Michael McGuckin.
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Kenneth Michael Howell as bishop of the diocese of Toowoomba in Australia, transferring him from the titular see of Tamugadi and the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Brisbane.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop Kenneth Michael Howell was born in Brisbane on 20 February 1958. After work experience, he entered the provincial seminary of Banyo, where he carried out his ecclesiastical studies.
He was ordained a priest for the clergy of Brisbane on 24 June 1983. After serving as deputy priest in various parish communities, he obtained a licentiate in sacred liturgy from the Pontifical Saint Anselm Athenaeum in Rome. He went on to hold the offices of secretary to Archbishop John Bathersby, deputy administrator of the Cathedral of Brisbane and magistral chaplain of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Queensland, vice rector of the Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary, administrator of Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, dean of the deanery of Brisbane Centre, administrator of Saint Mary’s parish in South Brisbane, parish priest of Burleigh Heads, president of the archdiocesan Commission for the Liturgy, member of the National Council for Liturgical Music and president of the home for retired priests.
He was elected titular bishop of Tamugadi and auxiliary of Brisbane on 28 March 2017, and consecrated the following 14 June.
Within the Australian Episcopal Conference, he is a member of the Episcopal Commission for the Liturgy.
Resignation and appointment of bishop of Antipolo, Philippines
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Antipolo, Philippines, presented by Bishop Francisco M. De Leon.
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Ruperto C. Santos of Balanga, Philippines, as bishop of Antipolo, Philippines.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop Ruperto Cruz Santos was born on 30 October 1957 in San Rafael, Bulacan, in the diocese of Malolos. He attended courses in philosophy and theology at the San Carlos Seminary, and was ordained a priest on 10 September 1983 for the archdiocese of Manila.
After ordination, he first served as deputy parish priest of the Immaculate Conception in Metro Manila, chaplain of the Pasig Catholic College in Metro Manila (1983-1986), and parish priest in Maybugna (1986). He was awarded a licentiate in history from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (1987-1990), and went on to hold the offices of professor of Church history at the San Carlos Seminary of Manila (1990-1995), and superior and subsequently rector of the Pontifical Filipino College in Rome.
He was appointed bishop of Balanga on 1 April 2010, and received episcopal consecration the following 24 June.
Within the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, he is regional representative in the Permanent Council, chairman of the Commission for the Pontifical Filipino College, and vice-chairman of the Commission for the pastoral care of migrants and itinerant people.
Resignation of auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, U.S.A.
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Philadelphia, United States of America, presented by Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald.
Appointment of bishop of San Juan Bautista de Calama, Chile
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Tomás Abel Carrasco Cortés, of the clergy of the diocese of Santa María de Los Ángeles, Chile, hitherto parish priest of Sagrada Familia, as bishop of San Juan Bautista de Calama, Chile.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Tomás Abel Carrasco Cortés was born in Santa Bárbara, in the region of Bio-Bio, on 13 November 1970. He carried out his ecclesiastical studies at the Major Seminary of Concepción, and was ordained a priest on 31 October 2001.
He has held the following offices: vicar (2001-2006) and parish priest (2006-2017) of the parish of San Diego de Alcalá in Tucapel. Since 2017 he has served as parish priest of Sagrada Familia.
Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Brasília, Brazil
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Ricardo Hoepers, secretary general of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, as auxiliary bishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Brasília, Brazil, transferring him from the office of bishop of Rio Grande to the titular see of Tisdro.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop Ricardo Hoepers was born on 16 December 1970 in Curitiba, in the archdiocese of the same name, in the State of Paraná. He carried out his studies in philosophy at the Universidade Federal do Paraná and in theology at the Studium Theologicum Claretiano in Curitiba-PR. He specialized in bioethics at the Faculdade São Camilo in São Paulo-SP and obtained a licentiate in education from the Pontificia Universidade Católica do Paraná in Curitiba-PR. He was awarded a licentiate and a doctorate in moral theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome.
He received priestly ordination on 31 January 1999 and was incardinated in the archdiocese of Curitiba, where he held the following offices: parish vicar of the Cathedral, director of the Faculty of Philosophy and vice rector of the philosophy seminary, parish priest of São Franscico de Paula and then Santo Agostinho in Curitiba-PR, coordinator of presbyteral pastoral care, member of the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors, ecclesiastical counsellor for the Pastoral Care of the Disabled. In addition, he was professor of moral theology and bioethics, member of the Ethics Committee of the Universidade Federal do Paraná and of the Brazilian Society of Moral Theology, and community director of the Studium Theologicum Claretiano.
On 17 February 2016, he was appointed bishop of Rio Grande, and received episcopal ordination on the following 14 May.
He was chair of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Life and the Family of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, and last April he was elected secretary general of the same Episcopal Conference.
